Schalke aren't budging when it comes to their Julian Draxler price tag

Based on how Juventus quickly got a lot of their summer business done, maybe we had it too good. Maybe we were in for a transfer saga that would be drawn out for the better part of the past month even if we didn't know it yet. And, unfortunately, that's exactly what we're getting in Juventus' chase to try and sign Schalke midfielder Julian Draxler.

We've heard about bids from Juventus' end and Schalke going ahead and rejecting said offers. We've known for quite a while that Juventus and Draxler have reportedly agreed to personal terms, but the same can't even close to being said about Juve and Schalke agreeing to a transfer fee. Add into the fact that Schalke 04 general manager Horst Heldt likes to talk and there will be plenty of things being said from the Schalke side of the equation.

A lot of his talking this summer has been related to how Juventus will have to pay lots and lots of money if they want to acquire the German international midfielder. Like, for instance, what Heldt said in the German press earlier in the week:

"Our plan is not to sell Julian. That said, in this business it's difficult to make definitive statements. If another club makes an astronomical offer for a player, for the good of the club you must always at least consider it. We want to keep him, but we can only definitively put the issue to bed on August 31. To say anything else would not be honest. Today I could say ‘he will not leave', but then a few days later a huge offer for him is put on the table."

(Source: Football Italia)

"Huge offer," he says. Maybe it's just me, but I'm starting to get the sense that Mr. Horst Heldt is interested in negotiating with Juventus through the press just as much as — if not more than — he's interested in talking to Beppe Marotta over the phone. Speaking of those same crazy journalists who give us transfer rumors, here's the latest from Sky Italia:

According to Sky, Juventus continue to work on signing Draxler but Schalke are not willing to lower their demands.

— Khaled Al Nouss (@KhaledAlNouss) August 12, 2015

Ah, right. It's a huge offer like Heldt said it is, then.

And who are we to blame Heldt and Schalke for staying firm on that big-money demand notion? They know that Draxler is a wanted commodity — and not just by Juventus, either. Arsenal have long been rumored to be interested in Draxler. And, on top of that, willing to come closer and closer to that magical €30 million figure that Schalke want to receive if they do part ways with the young No. 10. If reports are to be believed, Arsenal could try to swoop in with a last-ditch effort to sign Draxler, with a potential bid coming awfully close to the price tag Schalke oh so desperately say that they want.

Seeing as how many times Arturo Vidal signed for Manchester United last summer, it's not like I'm going to sit here and fret about Arsenal maybe giving Schalke the kind of offer they desire. But, at the same time, when you compare that reported fee to the one latest reports about Juventus' offer — something around the mid-€20 million range with fee and bonuses included — it's hard to deny that Juve are on the low side of the negotiations.

And as much as I want to tell myself "Oh, well that's just negotiations and that's just what it's going to be like!" seeing the chance to sign Draxler this summer get away will be a letdown. So maybe Juventus should just go ahead and make an offer worthy of something close to what Schalke wants and prevent any kind of transfer failure-related frustration from happening. Just an idea, though.